The Trillion Dollar Conman: The Astonishing True Story of the Most Audacious Fraud in Sport

by Ben Robinson

Based on the hit BBC 5Live podcast series, The Trillion Dollar Conman is an audacious tale of an international fraud that is stranger than fiction.

In 2009, Notts County FC were on the brink of bankruptcy when they were taken over by a mysterious company supposedly backed by the Bahraini royal family. The club was promised millions of pounds worth of investment and a list of marquee players, including Sol Campbell and Kasper Schmeichel were signed, in a recruitment drive led by former England manager Sven-Göran Eriksson, who was appointed to take the club all the way to the Premier League.

However, within weeks, as the bills began to pile up, the dream came tumbling down as it transpired that the club, the players and the fans had been tricked by a convicted fraudster called Russell King.

The world's oldest professional football club found itself at the centre of one of the most outlandish frauds in sporting and world history, which spanned the globe from Nottingham to North Korea, involving fake sheikhs, fast cars, broken promises and a trail of destruction.

Genres: Football, Nonfiction

279 pages, Kindle Edition

Published October 24, 2024

Reviews

[Stephen · Rating 3 out of 5]

interesting book investigating the take over of notts county and the fallout detailing the stories of Notts county and Russell King

[Lee Crane · Rating 4 out of 5]

Well written, well researched. Interesting yarn especially if you like reading about big fraud and have an interest in football. BUT an interest in one or the other will be enough to really enjoy this.

[Mark · Rating 4 out of 5]

A well-written and extensive story of con man Russell King’s career, and how he got away with it. Most interesting for the Notts County years, for me, but that is only part of the gripping story.

[George · Rating 4 out of 5]

This unpicks what is comfortably one of the most surreal chapters in footballing history. For Notts County, the oldest professional club in the world, the Munto Finance era remains a horrible stain on the history of the club that eventually spiralled into the heartbreak of relegation to the National League.

Although this was before my time as a Notts fan, I recall the fanfare of 2009. Seeing world-class figures like Sven-Göran Eriksson and Sol Campbell grace Meadow Lane felt like a fever dream. My Mum also used to use the same gym as Sven. I recently saw John Thompson (a man who holds the rare distinction of playing for all three Nottingham clubs) discussing his time in that 2009–2011 squad. It made me want to pick up this book and find out more.

It is truly hard to believe the level of audacity involved. Without giving too much away, the fact that the con extended to ferrying Sven to North Korea as part of another scam is nothing short of mad.

I like to think that there are provisions in place to stop something so surreal happening again.

COYP

[Greville Waterman · Rating 5 out of 5]

Some true stories are far stranger than fiction and this is most certainly one of them.

Journalist and avid Notts County fan has written a forensically detailed and well researched account of the take over of his club by a mystery Middle Eastern syndicate which promised to take a struggling fourth tier team to the dizzy heights of the Premier League.

Money was splurged on big name signings and staff but as they say - there’s no such thing as a free lunch and if something looks too good to be true it generally is.

The money never existed and the club was drained by conman supreme Russell King who left a trail of misery and bankruptcies behind him in places such as Jersey, Bahrain and even North Korea.

Thanks to the dogged persistence of financial journalists and victims of his scams he finally got his comeuppance- but far too little too late.

The book is fascinating and far reaching and tells a salutary tale of greed and naivety.

Highly recommended.

[Frederik · Rating 3 out of 5]

The book is undeniably well-researched and tells a story that is stranger than fiction—King’s scams span from Jersey to Bahrain and even touch North Korea, which is jaw-dropping in its own right. But as someone who was mainly interested in the Notts County angle, I felt the football side sometimes got lost in the wider tale of King’s global cons. The brief window where County seemed destined for the Premier League—big name signings, promises of untold riches—was compelling, but it felt overshadowed by the lengthy sections on King’s other exploits.

That said, it’s still an eye-opening account of how easily people and institutions can be duped, and credit has to go to the persistence of the journalists and victims who eventually brought King down. For me, though, it was more of a financial thriller than a football story, and I’d have preferred the balance to tilt the other way.

[Edel Henry · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5

There are few things I love more than a true life financial swindle story. Enron meets Sunderland Til I Die. Outrageous story that does an excellent job balancing the financial chicanery with the stories of the real people whose lives were affected and derailed by one man’s insatiable greed and the hangers on who indulged him or chose to look the other way.

Bonus points for Sven Goran Eriksson who, while undoubtedly enjoying the finer things in life, comes across as a lovely man with something that was in scant supply in amongst King and his cronies - a moral compass

[Sam · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was always going to love this as a Notts fan, but it was waaaaaay better than that. In many ways, Notts are a sideshow - this really is about Russell King and a cast of other dodgy types, a few heroes, and lots of people who were taken in.

Many little snippets that I had never heard before, which is pretty impressive when it's my club.

Well done, Mr Robinson!

[Rebecca · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very interesting and well researched book. Found it fascinating and was a really good read. It however seemed to jump around a bit which kinda got confusing but also matched what was happening in a way.

[Paul Kenyon · Rating 5 out of 5]

Powerful and beautifully written. How did he get humour into this? Brilliant. What a story. You won’t be able to put it down.

[Thomas · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fantastic read from start to finish. Really detailed and insightful about what is, frankly, a staggering story.